This invention relates to an electrical connector for surface mounting on a circuit board and, in particular, to a structure of a shell in the electrical connector.
JP-A 11-26105 discloses an electrical connector having a folded sheet metal shell, which comprises a pair of front mounting posts and a pair of rear mounting posts in order to securely fix the electrical connector onto a circuit board. The front mounting posts are connected to plate-like arms which extend forward from a rear end of the shell along side walls of the shell. Each of the plate-like arms is formed with an aperture which is positioned near to the front mounting post. To position the respective front mounting posts and keep their positions, the apertures are engaged with engagement portions which are provided for the side walls by making cuts into the side walls.
For highly reliable fixation of the connector onto the circuit board, it is preferable that the front mounting posts are positioned as close to a front end of the shell as possible. In addition, it is further preferable that there is a large distance between the front and the rear mounting posts.
However, the disclosed shell has a problem on its fixation. In order to form the front mounting posts closer to the front end of the shell, the corresponding plate-like arm inevitably becomes long. The long plate-like arm is a wasted part because the plate-like arm serves only to support the front mounting post but does not provide any effects for the shell.
In addition, the shell has another problem on its electromagnetic property. The plate-like arm is a cantilever having a free end, to which the front mounting post is connected. The engagement portion formed in the side wall is a necessary part for keeping the position of the front mounting post. On the other hand, the engagement portion is formed in the side wall by making a cut into the side wall as mentioned above. The cut degrades the electromagnetic property of the shell, i.e. a shielding function of the shell.
There is a need for a shell having front mounting posts and rear mounting posts, wherein the front mounting posts are positioned as near to a front end of the shell as possible without causing problems as mentioned above.